CONGRESSIONAL Republicans are trying to invoke the cost of reconstruction from Hurricane Katrina to justify cutting even more deeply and cruelly into programs that help the poorest Americans.

Prodded by self-proclaimed budget hawks, the House speaker, Dennis Hastert, suddenly wants to up the ante in Congress budget plan — to $50 billion from $35 billion — for five years of cuts in basic programs. Billions for food stamps, Medicaid and welfare reform would be lopped off.

Much of this is transparent posturing for next years elections. The same lawmakers who cheered on President Bushs reckless tax cuts for the affluent, killing the surpluses and creating mammoth debt, are trying to transform themselves into responsible budgeteers.

The budget process was also a mess well before Katrina struck. But the cost of repairing the storm damage makes facing reality more urgent.

For a starter, the next bout of upper-bracket tax-cut extensions should be indefinitely shelved. And Congress should return to the pay-as-you-go discipline that produced the surpluses of the 1990s. The cynical plan in the House would mandate offsets for spending programs only, not for tax cuts.

Dozens of comparable revenue wasters have been identified. The independent Center on Budget and Policy Priorities points to the timely warning from Congress Medicare advisory commission that billions will be wasted under the new drug subsidy program unless Congress fixes the windfall formulas for managed care companies. Sadly, there is less political risk in exploiting Katrina to compound the suffering of the poor.

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